TAMPA, Fla. — A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said its investigators are looking into how a checked bag with a loaded handgun inside almost made it onto an airplane at Tampa International Airport.
The agency confirmed the checked bag made it through a security screening Tuesday morning and it was not flagged for further investigation before ground operations employees discovered it for JetBlue Airways.
According to a Tampa airport police officer's narrative of the incident, the gun fell out of a duffel bag in a sorting facility as workers moved luggage from a belt onto a bag cart for an outbound flight to Boston.
In the report, the officer stated the chamber of the Glock 42 "was unloaded, but the magazine contained six rounds."
Police were able to identify that the gun belonged to a man from New Hampshire flying back to Boston with his family. The passenger said that he didn’t realize the gun was in his bag and mentioned that he had also flown with it from Boston to Tampa, as stated in the police report.
A person is allowed to check a firearm if it is declared to the airline, properly stored, and locked in a hard-sided container box.
In a statement to 10 Tampa Bay, a spokesperson for TSA said the agency is reviewing the incident and stressed the importance of checking bags, as this happens more frequently than one might realize.
“It is imperative that passengers inspect their personal belongings for prohibited items before leaving for the airport and ensure firearms are not loosely packed in their checked bags,” the spokesperson said.
Already in 2024, 27 improperly packed firearms have been found in checked luggage at Tampa International Airport, according to data provided by the TSA.
In this case, the passenger was not arrested by local law enforcement. The TSA says he could have to pay a civil penalty and if he is a member of TSA PreCheck, he will lose program eligibility for a period of up to five years.